- From: Andy Judson <ajudson@computing.dundee.ac.uk>
- Date: Tue, 16 Nov 2004 12:53:51 -0000
- To: 'Joe Clark' <joeclark@joeclark.org>, 'WAI-GL' <w3c-wai-gl@w3.org>
- Cc: "'c.a.nicolle@lboro.ac.uk'" <c.a.nicolle@lboro.ac.uk>
Hi Joe, et-al. Sorry for the delayed reply, but the lead author of the report you discussed was away and I wasn't in a position to comment. So here is, what is WWAAC followed by a response from Colette Nicolle the lead on the report. The WWAAC (World-Wide Augmentative and Alternative Communication) project is a pan-european initiative to make web and email-based technology more accessible to people with communication, language and/or cognitive impairment. This was a 3 year project that finished just a few months ago. In terms of results / contributions to web content accessibility there were a couple of outcomes, the concept coding approach which we have described to this list before and is now part of the RDF Techniques document that Lisa is drafting and the document you have referred to. If you want to know more on the concept coding work then I'd be happy to discuss this with you further, but for starters there is a mass of information at http://dewey.computing.dundee.ac.uk/ccf. I was involved in the WWAAC project, as was Bengt Farre and there were many others, but we're just the ones on the WAI lists. Unfortunately we were 99% focused on the concept coding idea, and must admit that we probably didn't keep an eye on the guidelines enough. We are seeking funding to continue the development of concept coding. Bengt, has already received some further funding and we (Dundee University, Scotland) are submitting a small proposal shortly. Following these short projects we are hoping to establish a larger EU/International project. Anyway, to the points you raise, here is Colette's comments on behalf of the consortium, thanks Andy Judson... Joe, Your points emphasise and clarify that certain guidelines are not suitable for mainstream developments, and the recommendation to "avoid the use of embedded links within text" is one of them and focuses too closely on the specific needs of people with dyslexia. So, thanks, Joe, for finding this weak point in our recommendations! >From the early stages of the WWAAC project, we anticipated a need for guidelines in 2 forms: 1. General guidelines to ensure that all Web sites can be made more accessible by more people, and 2. Guidelines aimed at information providers developing sites specifically for AAC users. The core target group of the WWAAC project is multiply impaired users with communication difficulties, not learning difficulties in general. However, support for people with communication difficulties can learn from the needs of people from other user groups, for example people with specific learning disabilities such as dyslexia. Dealings with the English Language Study Unit at Loughborough University recommend that weblinks should not be embedded in text. Dyslexic readers rely heavily on semantics in order to decode words, and they suggest that if Web links have no meaning in a sentence, they will therefore take away the sense of the sentence. The more web links in a sentence the worse this difficulty could be. Also, dyslexic students often benefit from plain English, clear to the point and spaced out, e.g. bullet points. Perhaps we could suggest that some of our recommendations for very specific user groups, like considering alternatives to embedding links in the text, could be included as subsections to, or links from, the main body of the WCAG. This would give those developing websites for AAC users (or other specific disabilities) the kind of guidance they may need. On the other hand, a more general recommendation to "consider the number, location and focus of links on a page" could still be useful to all developers. If you have any other "constructive criticisms" on how to improve and/or apply any of the other suggestions from our project, then we would be very happy to hear them. After all, we're all pulling in the same direction, that is, to achieve a more accessible and usable web. Colette Nicolle (for the WWAAC project) Colette Nicolle, BSc, MSc, FErgS Ergonomics and Safety Research Institute (ESRI) Loughborough University Holywell Building Holywell Park Loughborough, Leicestershire LE11 3UZ Switchboard: +44 (0)1509 283300 Direct Dial: +44 (0)1509 283369 Email: c.a.nicolle@lboro.ac.uk http://www.lboro.ac.uk/esri/ > <http://www.google.com/search?q=cache:-_P5fxFGEFcJ:www.wwaac.org/products/Do cs/AAC_WebGuidelines.pdf> > <http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/public-comments-wcag20/2004May/0006.htm l> > >(where they give WCAG recommendations in a PDF-- *nice*) > o Avoid the use of embedded links within text. Use bullets or > numbered lists instead. Place links at the end of each section and not > within the body of the contents. > > An excellent way to turn the Web into the collection of CERN physics > papers with endnotes that is so dearly desired by those who hate the Web > we have now. WCAG WG can safely ignore this unworkable proposal.
Received on Tuesday, 16 November 2004 13:04:09 UTC